students wish them both the very best of luck.! AâZ of Starting a New Job ... relevant blogs, join a professional asso
October 2016 Congratulations to all of our 2015–2016 graduates who have started a new job over the summer. It has been lovely to receive news of your interviews and subsequent job offers. Starting any new job is a daunting prospect … below is an A–Z to help you through those scary first few weeks. Angela Liddiard relevant blogs, join a professional association, read the news, and follow influencers. inkedIn Pulse. Pulse delivers your personally tailored news to your smartphone. You could be learning by reading industry news during your commute to work; much more constructive to your career than catching up with your friends’ photos on Instagram. ix. You may feel a little shy and awkward, and a little envious of the relationships that your colleagues already have with each other. Accept all invitations; for coffee, lunch or after work drinks. Throw yourself into the mix and become one of the team. etwork. Update your LinkedIn profile to reflect your new position. Connect with others in your organisation … you will pick up many other contacts through them who could have an influence on your future career. rganise yourself. You have a very short window to get your work environment set up before you are expected to be working at full capacity. Take time to organise your desk, chair, stationery, computer, passwords, bookmarks etc. oliteness. Be nice to all, even if you don’t think they will be ‘useful’ to you. Sirius Black said about Hermoine Granger in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire; “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” uestion the way things are done. A new person in a team gives a perfect opportunity to review the way things happen. If you see a way in which you could enhance or improve something, investigate why it is being done that way, then put forward your proposals. eview your social media account so that there is nothing that your new employer would not like to see. Set your privacy settings so that you have control over who sees your posts. Never, ever post inappropriate content. ocial Media. Want to keep up to date with what is happening in your company? Follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, their blog and the media news on their webpage. Your managers will be impressed that you are taking such an interest. ake on the dirty work. Doesn’t sound very grand, does it? But, if there is something that no one else is keen on doing, volunteer for it. Your management and colleagues will be grateful to you for taking on the task, and impressed with your initiative. se your shorthand. You have put a lot of time and effort into gaining an enviable skill. Don’t waste it. This job may not require your shorthand skills, but still use them every day for taking notes, messages etc. It could well be the skill that clinches your next job. eer off course. You may have always wanted to work in (say) advertising. You are allowed to change your mind! There are jobs on offer now that didn’t exist a few years ago. Grab every opportunity, give it your best and build your professional reputation. hen you are wrong, say so. Admit it. Don’t try to cover it up. It is always better to come clean and ‘fess-up’ as soon as possible. Your colleagues would far rather know the truth and will respect your honesty and the way in which you are trying to put things right. Pectations. No pressure, but your company will have high expectations of you. They probably interviewed more than just you for your new position, and yet here you are, in the hot seat! Keep a positive mental attitude and everything else will fall into place. ou are on show. You could be meeting many new people every day and each of those people will form a first impression of you. This will include things like your enthusiasm, punctuality, and interaction with others. Make that first impression a good one. ZZZZZZ. To ensure that you perform to your maximum potential, get a good night’s sleep. This will make you more alert and receptive, happier and fitter. Your mood and concentration will improve, as will your ability to make decisions.
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M N Sadly, we said goodbye to Louise and Kirsten in July … both of them are moving on to the next adventure in their lives. Staff and past students wish them both the very best of luck.!
A–Z of Starting a New Job
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sk questions. Nobody will expect you to know everything straightaway and the fact that you are genuinely interested and asking questions will be confirmation to your colleagues that you want to do your job properly. Don’t be frightened to ask. e pleasant to be around. You are going to be a bit of a fish out of water for the first few weeks. Don’t make people feel uncomfortable because you are not fully up to speed yet. Ask if you can help people, make coffee, run errands … and keep smiling as you do it. arry a notepad everywhere. You are going to learn so many new things over the next few weeks. Acknowledge that you will not remember everything and get into the habit of jotting down notes and reviewing them regularly. ress professionally. Your company’s dress code might allow crop tops and jeans but resist the urge to follow this trend until you get more established. Smart, clean, ironed clothes will create a good impression. valuate your work constantly. What went well? What didn’t? Why? How will you change the situation for next time? Keep a record of all of your accomplishments; this will become invaluable in your company appraisals and salary negotiations. ind something useful to do. Every workplace has quiet times. They are not an opportunity for you to twiddle your thumbs or check out your Facebook. How you use quiet times will highlight what sort of person you are. Use the time productively. oogle everyone you meet … honestly it is not stalking, and you can bet that they are doing the same with you! You might find out something interesting, which could give you something to chat about in these first few difficult weeks. ave no part in office politics and gossip. Your workplace may have inherent behaviours, gossip and rumours. Avoid them. They have been created because of things that happened long before you started. Don’t get sucked into other people’s arguments. ntroduce yourself to people … they are probably wondering who you are anyway. Your first few weeks in a new job gives you a wonderful opportunity to talk to people that you possibly wouldn’t have much contact with in the workplace. Say hello to them! abbering on and on endlessly is not the way to endear yourself to your new colleagues. Talk sparingly … in fact you should be listening to people the majority of the time; you find out more that way. You have two ears and one mouth – use them proportionately. eep learning. The responsibility for your professional development starts and ends with you. There are many free or inexpensive ways to do this; for example, you could subscribe to
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